St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-01-20

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Monday, Jan. 81, at one o'clock. We
trust Caledonia farmers, their wives,
sons and daughters, and all who have
any regard for the welfare and pros
perity of the farmers, will attend these
lectures, as he is man of national
reputation. He was in the lecture
field 100 days last year.
THE SEVENTEEN MARTYRS.
A Local Tale, Complete i'm One Number.
The st. JoInsbury house business
came to the surface again last week
when the seventeen citizens of this
place who had signed II promissory
note held by the First National bank
of this place received notice of which
the following is copy:
Dear Sir: The amount due on notes
and accounts against the following
gentlemen, to wit: +. NJ. Howard, C..
NJ. Stone, E. F. Brown, George May,
A. H. Mcleod, Geo. Fl. Cross. G. Ell.
Marshall, HI. Paddock, Horace Fair
banks, Henry Fairbanks, Franklin
Fairbanks, George Ranney, Elijah ID.
Blodgett, E. B. Merriam, VIM. z. Fair
banks, H. G.. Moore and G. G. Bing-
ham, comprising the signers of the
note of $4,000, given for the purpose of
aiding E. E. Bedell in purchasing the
st. JOhnsbury house property
ing interest to January 18th, 1887, is
81 ,227.99. Your proportion 1.l7th)
of the above sum is $66O.47, which you
will kindly pay at your earliest con-
venience, and when paid will be en-
dOrsed on account. Interest will be
charged after 18th inst. Very respect
fully, Jno. G. Clark, Cashier.
So much has been said about this st
Johnsbury house business by busy
bodies, meddlers and alleged newspa-
pers, that it is due the public Gf not
the signers of the note) that the facts
be given In November, 1884, E. E..
Bedell of Jefferson, N. H., made bar
gain for the ST. j. house. In order to
help him to this purchase, the cashier
of the First national bank of this
place, an acquaintance of Bedell, drew
ND q note for $4,000 which he proposed
to have 20 OF 25 citizens sign, and
which II did sign, by which means
Bedell was enabled to complete his
purchase. This note was put in the
First national bank and Bedell was to
pay interest and at least 500 of the
principal monthly until it was liqul-
dated. 1t is fact that these II sign
ers of the note, with perhaps one ex-
ception, did not know Bedell and had
not the slightest interest in helping
him to purchase the st. JOhnsbury
house, only as they expected that they
were thereby helping the town by Civ
ing it better hotel. While the for
mer keeper of the house was acknOwl-
edged to be a good hotel man in al
most every particular, it was freely
asserted that he sold rum and drank
himself to such an extent us to bring
disrepute on the house and Odium up
on the town. With this belief many
citizens were willing to lend their
names to help Il man whom they were
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would keep a strictly temperance
house, especially as they were further
assured that the note was amply secur-
ed. While this note was an ordinary
joint and promissory note, it had this
addenda:
"This note is given to furnish the
balance of the purchase money above
the existing mortgage, amounting to
SIS, 300) on the st. Johnsbury house
property, real and personal, and a note
of even date and amount with this, Sc
cured by mortgage on the said rea
and personal property, executed by
the purchaser of the same, Elisha K
Bedell, is held to secure the payment
of this note and the interest thereon"
A year passed by. Bedell proved to
be worthless stick financially if MOI
otherwise, and the hotel run down un-
der his management. Not n cent o
principal or interest on the $4,000 note
had been collected. If the signers o
the note generally knew this fact they
probably felt secure because they haC
mortgage OH the entire "real ant
: personal property"
Meanwhile Hugh Moore, a shrcwt
business man and one who knew al
about the value of the st. Johnsbur,
house property, offered Bedell $3l ,O0
for the same. Although urged by hi
hackers to take the offer, Bedell utter
9 ly refused. A few weeks later Bedel
skipped to New Hampshire leaving tn,
8 property in the hands of the mort
, gagees. AS the banks claim was Onl
about SIS, 900, and us Bedell had bee
offered $3I 600 only short time be
t fore, the signers of the $4,000 note ha'
g reason to believe there was enough
q margin between the banks claim an
what the property would sell for, t
: satisfy their claim, or good share G
, it.
g Hoping to sell at an early day tin
syndicate of seventeen appointed
committee of three to run the hous
until a sale was made. This commit
tee hired A. G. TOlman and VIM. Lit
tie, both experienced hotel men, t
keep the house. They were told t
: keep a good house. This injunctiO
, was emphasized by the boarders an
hangers-On and they did keep a goo
house. They gave rs cent meals rigl
along and charged but so conts fc
them; and yet the GROWERS were nc
. satisfied. The hotel served expensiv
fruits, brOiled chicken and quail o